# Labelle
**Labelle** was an American all-female vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1962 as [Patti LaBelle](https://www.edgepedia.org/patti-labelle) and the Bluebelles and reinvented in the early 1970s as a funk, rock, and glam act best known for the 1974 number-one single "[Lady Marmalade](https://www.edgepedia.org/lady-marmalade)."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography) The founding members were Patti LaBelle (born Patricia Louise Holte), Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash, and [Cindy Birdsong](https://www.edgepedia.org/cindy-birdsong).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Formed 1962 in Philadelphia as Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles; renamed Labelle in 1970 under manager Vicki Wickham[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography) • [2](https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/1045) |
| Members | Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash (1962–1976 and 2008); Cindy Birdsong (1962–1967)[3](https://soulmusicdatabase.com/soul-funk-rb-index/labelle/) |
| Signature hit | "Lady Marmalade" (1974), written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, produced by Allen Toussaint; number one on the Billboard Hot 100[4](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/Lady-Marmalade_Bertei.pdf) |
| Breakthrough album | *Nightbirds* (1974, Epic), recorded in New Orleans, certified gold[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-12-ca-labelle12-story.html) |
| Historic first | On October 6, 1974, the group became the first black vocal group to appear at New York's Metropolitan Opera House[6](https://www.congress.gov/105/crec/1998/09/16/CREC-1998-09-16-pt1-PgE1733-4.pdf) |
| Disbanding and reunion | Broke up at the end of 1976; reunited for the album *Back to Now* (Verve, 2008)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography) |
| Recognition | "Lady Marmalade" added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2020[7](https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2025/03/from-the-national-recording-registry-lady-marmalade-1974/) |
## The Bluebelles years
Patti LaBelle grew up singing in a Baptist choir in Philadelphia and in 1960 teamed with friend Cindy Birdsong to form a group called the Ordettes; after the additions of Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash, the group was renamed the Blue Belles.[8](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4720) Their first hit, "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman," reached the R&B and pop Top 20 in 1962, though accounts differ on who actually sang the lead on the record; some hold that the Starlets, the group that first recorded it, backed LaBelle or that her vocal was overlaid, while others suggest the lead voice was not LaBelle's at all.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography)
The Bluebelles followed with the R&B Top 20 ballad "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)" in 1963 and [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40) renditions of "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Danny Boy" in 1964, building a reputation for sentimental, classic-style pop built on Patti LaBelle's gospel-derived lead vocals.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography) In 1965 they signed with Atlantic, where a version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" had some success and remained in Patti LaBelle's concert repertoire for decades, but the tenure was commercially disappointing overall.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography) Cindy Birdsong left in 1967 to join the Supremes, and the three remaining singers stayed together as a trio.[4](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/Lady-Marmalade_Bertei.pdf)
## Reinvention as Labelle
In 1970, after the group had been dropped by Atlantic and by their longtime manager, the British television producer Vicki Wickham, formerly of the music show *Ready, Steady, Go!*, agreed to manage them.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography) • [2](https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/1045) Wickham's first direction was to drop the girl-group name and image and perform simply as Labelle, moving toward a sound that blended funk, rock, and [psychedelic soul](https://www.edgepedia.org/psychedelic-soul).[2](https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/1045) A Congressional tribute later described the change as one of "image, sound, costume, management and message," producing a blend of soul, funk, rhythm and blues, gospel, pop, and high-intensity rock and roll with futuristic costumes and theatrical staging.[6](https://www.congress.gov/105/crec/1998/09/16/CREC-1998-09-16-pt1-PgE1733-4.pdf)
The trio recorded for Warner Bros. and then RCA, releasing the albums *Labelle* (1971), *Moon Shadow* (1972), and *Pressure Cookin'* (1973).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography) In 1971 they sang background vocals on [Laura Nyro](https://www.edgepedia.org/laura-nyro)'s album *Gonna Take a Miracle*, and in 1972 they opened for the Who on several stops of the Who's U.S. tour.[9](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/patti-labelle-the-bluebelles-mn0000018264) • [2](https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/1045) In 1973, drawing inspiration from the glam rock styles of [David Bowie](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-bowie) and [Elton John](https://www.edgepedia.org/elton-john), Wickham put the group into silver space suits along with luminescent makeup, an appearance that designer Larry LeGaspi later refined into the space-age stage costumes for which they became known.[2](https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/1045)
The song, sung from the point of view of a Creole sex worker with the French refrain "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?", reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and both the single and the album were certified gold.[4](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/Lady-Marmalade_Bertei.pdf) • [10](https://www.history-of-rock.com/bluebelles.htm) The Library of Congress notes that the recording featured Patti LaBelle's lead vocals over Hendryx and Dash's harmonies, with Toussaint's arrangements and the New Orleans band the Meters behind them.[7](https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2025/03/from-the-national-recording-registry-lady-marmalade-1974/)
Labelle earned a place in history on October 6, 1974, when they became the first black vocal group ever to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House, singing for a crowd that counted [Bette Midler](https://www.edgepedia.org/bette-midler) and Jackie Onassis among its members.[6](https://www.congress.gov/105/crec/1998/09/16/CREC-1998-09-16-pt1-PgE1733-4.pdf) AllMusic's biography describes the landmark performance as the first by an African-American act at the Met and says it introduced "Lady Marmalade," which became the group's lone chart-topping single in 1974.[8](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4720)
## Later albums and breakup
"Lady Marmalade" proved a hard act to follow. Despite four more charting R&B singles over the next two years, nothing matched it, and the albums *Phoenix* (1975) and *Chameleon* (1976) were relative commercial disappointments even though they contained some of the group's finest vocal performances and increasingly ambitious writing by Hendryx.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography) Hendryx's own musical vision was pulling her in a different direction, and by the end of 1976 the group disbanded to pursue solo careers.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography)
The three solo paths diverged sharply. Hendryx recorded funk-rock and later worked in downtown New York's avant-garde scene, often with Bill Laswell. Patti LaBelle began a solo career in 1977 that produced 13 Top Ten R&B singles, including the chart-topping "If Only You Knew" (1983) and the number-one Michael McDonald duet "On My Own" (1986), and won [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards) for *Burnin'* (1991) and *Live! One Night Only* (1998).[8](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4720) Sarah Dash made several solo albums that attracted little attention but later worked as a backup singer in the Rolling Stones' sphere.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography)
## Reunion and legacy
More than 30 years after the breakup, the trio reunited to record *Back to Now* (2008) for the Verve label, with Gamble & Huff, Lenny Kravitz, and [Wyclef Jean](https://www.edgepedia.org/wyclef-jean) among those involved in the sessions.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography) Sarah Dash died on September 20, 2021, at the age of 76.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography)
The group's influence outlasted its short recording life. The Los Angeles Times credited Labelle's practice of sharing lead vocals as a model taken up by later female groups such as [En Vogue](https://www.edgepedia.org/en-vogue) and [Destiny's Child](https://www.edgepedia.org/destinys-child), and noted that solo artists including Fantasia and [Christina Aguilera](https://www.edgepedia.org/christina-aguilera) cite Patti LaBelle as an influence.[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-12-ca-labelle12-story.html) "Lady Marmalade" itself was added to the National Recording Registry in 2020 and was covered for the soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann's film *Moulin Rouge!* (2001) by Christina Aguilera, Mýa, Pink, and Lil' Kim, produced by Missy Elliott; that version reached number one on the Hot 100 in June 2001 for five consecutive weeks and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.[7](https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2025/03/from-the-national-recording-registry-lady-marmalade-1974/) • [11](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/lady-marmalade-song-moulin-rouge-movie-24901/)
## Discography (as Labelle)
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | *Labelle* | Warner Bros. |
| 1972 | *Moon Shadow* | Warner Bros. |
| 1973 | *Pressure Cookin'* | RCA |
| 1974 | *Nightbirds* | Epic |
| 1975 | *Phoenix* | Epic |
| 1976 | *Chameleon* | Epic |
| 2008 | *Back to Now* | Verve |
## References
1. [Labelle Biography, AllMusic (Steve Huey)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/labelle-mn0000118289/biography)
2. [WBSS Media: Patti LaBelle](https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/1045)
3. [Labelle, Soul Music Database](https://soulmusicdatabase.com/soul-funk-rb-index/labelle/)
4. ["Lady Marmalade"—Labelle (1974), National Recording Registry essay by Adele Bertei, Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/Lady-Marmalade_Bertei.pdf)
5. [Labelle was always more than a 'Lady', Los Angeles Times (2008)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-12-ca-labelle12-story.html)
6. [Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, September 16, 1998](https://www.congress.gov/105/crec/1998/09/16/CREC-1998-09-16-pt1-PgE1733-4.pdf)
7. [From the National Recording Registry: "Lady Marmalade" (1974), Library of Congress Now See Hear! blog (2025)](https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2025/03/from-the-national-recording-registry-lady-marmalade-1974/)
8. [Patti LaBelle Biography, AllMusic (Jason Ankeny)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4720)
9. [Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles Biography, AllMusic (Bryan Thomas)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/patti-labelle-the-bluebelles-mn0000018264)
10. [Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles, History of Rock](https://www.history-of-rock.com/bluebelles.htm)
11. ['Lady Marmalade': Inside the Vampy, Gossip-Fuelling 'Moulin Rouge' Remake, 20 Years Later, Rolling Stone (2021)](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/lady-marmalade-song-moulin-rouge-movie-24901/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Rock, indie, and pop groups › Rock bands › Funk rock and rap rock bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license